


Reach Out

by orphan_account



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Angst, Comfort, F/M, Gen, Homophobia, Trans Character, Transphobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 10:07:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5535893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naoto is a trans man. Kanji is struggling to find himself. The Investigstion Team is by their sides.</p>
<p>An angst/comfort kind of fic about everyone becoming comfortable with who they are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Naoto/Rise is present and will grow more influential throughout the fic, for now it's kind of just hinted...

Kanji wondered if he could ever live down the incidents that occurred when he confronted his shadow. People he had barely known at that point had seen such an intimate and personal side of him right away, without his permission.

He knew they thought of him differently since they saw that, and that their opinions of him would have been different if they hadn't. He wasn't sure if that was better or worse, but the concept bothered him nonetheless.

That's why he was here, standing on the rooftop with the Investigation Team, as the subject of the pageant had come up. 

"Come on, why's it such a big deal?! Just, y'know, power through...!" Yosuke huffed, glancing at Yu for support occasionally.

"Easy for you to say, since you're not the one in this situation!" Chie spat back, flustered and overwhelmed, her fists clenched.

"It's only natural to want to see us at our best, right?" Rise teased, putting her hand on her hip. 

"You say that, but...I know you're at least a little uncomfortable too." Yukiko said quietly. 

While the chatter raged on, Naoto was standing apart from everyone. Their expression was distant, as if they were very far away. 

As usual, they caught Kanji's eye, and he was gazing. 

"Hey, you're on my side right, Kanji?" Yosuke shouted with a hint of desperation, breaking his focus.

Kanji snapped to look at him; the girls had stepped closer threateningly, and Yu and Yosuke were looking at him for support.

An array of thoughts that were probably more deep than they should've been for the situation, flashed through Kanji's mind. 

He wasn't into dudes, he wasn't gay. He wasn't weird. He wasn't strange, he wasn't weak. And he definitely didn't like dudes. At all, right? He liked Naoto, and she was a chick. He hadn't really seen her in much different attire aside from uniforms and similar outfits...could he be sure?

Freaking himself out, he broke out of his mind fog and yelled. "Uh yeah, I'm on your side! I think it's a good idea, uh, especially you Naoto! You definitely have to participate!"

Kanji's tone was borderline aggressive, though it was just to mask his confusion.

"Make me a man alright?!" He finished.

Everyone had stopped and was watching Kanji, who had broken a sweat as their eyes searched him, swapping between Naoto and him periodically. 

"Make you a man...?", Naoto began. He was staring at the ground, his hat casting his face in shadow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

When Naoto looked up, their face expressed a mix of emotions. Hurt and anger and sadness danced across their features.

"Well, I, uh, since you're like you know...a-a woman if I saw you, I could-" Kanji stuttered.

"Me? A woman?" Naoto looked directly into his eyes. Tears began to fall from their eyes but they weren't entirely sad, as their eyes flashed with ferocity. "Don't be stupid....I'm a man. Quit using me as your excuse to delude yourself; I'm a person, not something to suit your needs and wills."

Kanji felt a pang of fear, which he realized somewhere in the back of his mind was probably because Naoto was right. He was doing everything he had said. He was at fault.

"When my Shadow revealed that, I saw the relief flood your face. It felt like I...got slapped. You think of me as a woman because it comforts you. You don't like me. You like the person you think I am." Naoto elaborated. His words were full of pain, but he sounded mostly collected.

The rest of the Investigation Team was looking upon them anxiously, unsure of what to do. They had silently agreed to let this play out. 

"I...value you as a member of our team. However, for the good of the investigation, you need to reflect on some things." Naoto's tone was final, and he headed towards the rooftop's exit. 

Kanji stood frozen, dumbfounded. Rise was the first to dash after him, calling his name. 

Finding the truth was harder than it had seemed.


	2. Melt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rise comforts Naoto, who's views on the recent events are different than she expects.

"Naoto..." 

In the dark, empty classroom, the only sounds were troubled breathing and Rise's gentle voice. She tucked her stray locks behind her ear, and knelt beside the trembling boy. 

His back was turned, his head turned downwards. He was crouched down and held his knees close to his body.

"You don't deserve that...Don't listen to anything that idiot says, okay?" Rise said softly, placing a hand on Naoto's shoulder. She felt a rising anger towards Kanji; he was so insensitive, and it ended up hurting her close friend. 

"I was...really angry." Naoto began. He didn't turn around. "It was hurtful, the way he acted. He wasn't even aware of it. Ignorance may be bliss after all." The last sentence made Rise's heart sink.

"No...", Naoto began again after a few seconds of silence. "He was scared. He still is. He's scared and confused. It certainly doesn't excuse his behavior, but it explains it." 

The detective prince's calm, cool attitude shone through. Rise admired his levelheadedness, his ability to keep his emotions under control. In contrast, she was considering running out and slapping Kanji as hard as she could. 

"Perhaps, we all need to come together, and make it clear that we are all accepting; that we're respectful. Really, just that we are friends." Naoto huffed and then turned his head, facing Rise with slightly red cheeks and shining eyes. "For the good of the investigation, of course..." He smiled. 

Rise felt her face grow warm. This person in front of her was stronger than she previously thought, and every minute she spent with him, she wanted to be closer. 

"Naoto...! You're amazing." She leapt forward and embraced him, pulling him into a tight hug. 

"Rise?! Rise-", Naoto struggled in shock at first, before settling down and wrapping his arms around her too. 

The pair stayed that way for a few seconds before pulling apart. Rise's happy expression instantly lifted Naoto's mood, and he couldn't tear himself away from looking deeply into her eyes. 

Rise slowly extended her arms, not breaking eye contact, and smoothly locked her fingers with Naoto's. She felt butterflies flutter in her stomach when he didn't pull away. 

"No matter what, I promise I'll stand by you." Rise said firmly, her smile growing wider.

"Th-Thank you...I promise the same for you." Naoto replied. It felt like a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. With Rise and his friends, he could be free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter will be more focused on the rest of the Investigation team as well! Thank you for reading

**Author's Note:**

> I'm dead inside


End file.
